Astros 3, Pirates 2: Pence puts stamp on series-opening victory

PITTSBURGH — For every “I have to be better,” there’s been a night like this when Hunter Pence has been better. Probably more than one. For every time he’s waved over a pitch with runners on late in the game, there have been times when that run did get in on his watch.

Pence, who has endured well-documented struggles at the end of games, was at the center of both of the Astros’ fruitful rallies as he further climbed the National League RBI leaderboard in a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

Hitting behind the twin engines of Jason Bourgeois and Michael Bourn at the top of the order, Pence had plenty of chances in big spots and took advantage. His sacrifice fly in the first inning scored Bourgeois to give the Astros a short-lived lead, and he doubled home Bourn in the eighth, ultimately scoring the winning run on Carlos Lee’s subsequent single.

“So many opportunities with Bourn and Bourgeois in front of me, eventually, you find a hole and get them in,” Pence said. “I’ve nicknamed them ‘The Lethal Weapons’ because there’s virtually no stopping them on the basepaths.”

With the two runs batted in, Pence tied Prince Fielder for third in the National League with 27 RBIs, trailing only Lance Berkman and Ryan Howard. The fifth-year outfielder has come under some scrutiny for strikeouts in key situations this year including the home opener after which he challenged himself to be better, especially on the breaking ball. But that was not the case on Friday in the first of 18 meetings between the Astros and Pirates.

After the Pirates had taken a 2-1 lead on Neil Walker’s solo home run off an otherwise highly effective Wandy Rodriguez, Michael Bourn walked and stole second, and Pence laced a Jose Veras offering into the right-center field gap to tie it. He scored easily when the throw was cutoff on Lee’s single, giving the Astros the edge on a night full of missed opportunities to put the Pirates away.

The game certainly could have been the latest and wettest – a steady rain fell from about the third inning through the sixth – of a string of frustrating losses. The Astros left 10 on base compared to Pittsburgh’s four. Clint Barmes left the bases loaded in the first on a groundout and hit into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded in the sixth.

“We left some guys on, but with Hunter and Carlos coming through there in the eighth inning,” Brad Mills began, “we got some big hits when we needed them.”

And the bullpen was good for it.

After Wilton Lopez uncharacteristically walked his first batter Xavier Paul on four pitches, he got a very questionably timed sacrifice from Andrew McCutchen and a groundout to Jose Tabata. Lopez then turned it over to lefty Fernando Abad, who caught pinch-hitter Garrett Jones just observing for the third out.

Mark Melancon, who is temporarily assigned to the ninth inning after Brad Mills backed off his more forceful assignment from Thursday, retired the side on three flyouts for his first career save.

Rodriguez got the win, going seven innings and allowing two runs on five hits and two walks. In the process, he extended his scoreless streak to 16 innings before it was broken in the fifth by a pair of Pirates doubles as the rain was at its hardest.

“It was wet today, so I didn’t feel normal or comfortable,” Rodriguez said. “But I needed to work.”

And work he did, lowering his ERA to 4.00 and finally getting that win he’d been denied in his first two outings in that scoreless streak.

“He’s just got a rhythm and great command of three pitches,” said an impressed Pence of Rodriguez. “He works fast, and it’s great playing behind him.